Wanted: Low Information Voters

But it depends on what information they’re low on.


When Barack Obama was battling Hillary Clinton, a "low information voter" was defined by the media as either: a) a woman who liked Hillary, or b) a struggling member of the white working class who wasn’t satisfied with Obama’s rhetoric on the economy and was probably a racist anyway.


Meanwhile, Axelrod was coasting to victory by deploying his own army of low information voters. For the Obama campaign, the only essential information a voter needed was the recognition that Barack was the greatest change agent in human history. That was enough to make you respectable.


But now John McCain, in predictable Rovian fashion, has kneecapped Axelrod by going at Obama’s strength. He’s running as Change Agent Emeritus, and–so far–it’s working.


Obama’s response–when he’s not getting sidetracked with dumb attacks on Sarah Palin–is to roll up his sleeves and talk incessantly about what he’s going to do to make people’s lives better. I’m sure he’s sincere, but–to put it bluntly–he sucks at it. He comes across as the poor man’s Hillary Clinton.


My advice, Barack: Stick with what you’re good at. Put your jacket back on, round up an audience of true believers, and give the voters more "soaring rhetoric." Let Joe Biden and your other surrogates do the heavy lifting.


Allowing Republicans to dictate your strategy isn’t the way to win.